We are proud to be working with Americans for Responsible Technology on these California bills. You can go to their website to learn more about the work we are all doing to try to stop AB 537 & SB 556.
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In California, fires are a real threat. In recent years, we have had massive fires that have burned down forests, grass covered hills and trees as well as entire neighborhoods leaving destruction, devastation and death. Many of these fires can be traced to electric poles, which is where site developers like to put their newest 4G & 5G antennas.
In order to accommodate the newest wireless infrastructure like 5G, companies like Verizon are using existing wood electrical poles which require an increase of pole height by 20-25%. They are using these wood poles because they are the cheapest way to build this infrastructure. Adding a 10-ft extension onto 40- or 50-ft pole significantly lengthens the pole while decreasing the force of wind required to topple a pole. When you add more communications equipment to this increased pole height, this "pole loading" adds significantly to pole failure and possibly pole fires! Below are examples of fire issues with poles.
The city of Malibu, which has been deeply impacted by these types of fires, is finding design and engineering flaws in almost every application for cell towers reviewed by their engineers. Most cities let these laws slide through. Fiber is needed for 5G to operate, and the fiber is not all underground; much of it is strung from utility pole to utility pole with lashing wires, and the lashing wires can come loose due to faulty equipment or improper installation.
For more information about fires click here.
The League of California Cites Opposition Letter
Over 50 cities in California have written letters in opposition including-
Other groups working on this issue include:
Organizations Opposing
This blatant power play by the telecoms undermines the whole purpose of local zoning laws and the election of local officials who represent the interests of their constituents. It mocks the idea that the people who live in the community should have some say over how – or even if – every new technology that comes along must be automatically accepted.
The industry’s latest marketing blitz for “5G” ignores the fact that 5G doesn’t offer any actual improvement over our current service. It won’t improve our phone connections, and it’s not required for national security or first responders. It won’t fix the digital divide or make driverless cars safer.
These telecom-sponsored bills are not only unnecessary, they set a dangerous precedent for the future. Suppose a community doesn’t want facial recognition or personal tracking technology in its residential neighborhoods? If these bills are passed, communities will have no say about the matter. It will be up to the telecoms themselves to decide how to integrate their lucrative new technologies into our lives.
The California legislature has better and more important things to do than spend taxpayer dollars helping the wireless industry trample on the rights of Californians.
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit judges in favor of environmental health groups and petitioners; finds FCC violated the Administrative Procedure Act and failed to respond to comments on environmental harm.
Bills would block any local control over placement of cell towers and antennas -- and it's passing with almost no opposition.
Article by Tim Redmond who has been a political and investigative reporter in San Francisco for more than 30 years. He spent much of that time as executive editor of the Bay Guardian. He is the founder of 48hills.
AB 537 wants to standardize the antenna siting process by eliminating “permits” for safety. It forces local governments to review and approve antenna applications under stricter shot clocks and if the review is incomplete or found unsafe, the application(s) will be “deemed approved” and cities and counties will need to take the telecom carriers to court to stop construction. This bill overrides the FCC and the 9th Circuit court decision.
SB 556 will allow Telecom carriers to attach multiple wireless antennas on all streetlights and utility poles in our public rights of way, again without local approval for safety. The 2018 fires in Malibu were the result of an overloaded pole and resulted in billions in financial costs as well as personal loss and death. Our city/ our county has unique fire safety and zoning needs and these needs should be protected. We rely on local officials like you to protect our safety, privacy, security, health and property,
These bills won’t improve connectivity, they won’t close the digital divide and they’re not needed for remote learning, working from home or for first responders. These are hoodwinked bills that are meant to seem beneficial, but the real purpose of these bills is to boost telecom profits by removing the time commitment needed for the permitting process. It’s not okay to put the profits of giant telecoms over the rights of their local constituents.
These are sample letters written by various activists working with ART. Please fee free to use and personalize.
Find your Legislators Here.
Thank you for taking this valuable, timely action!
For information about the digital divide go to Americans for Responsible Technology
The telecom industry wrote SB-556 and AB-537 to fast-track approvals for its powerful new “small cell” antenna installations. The industry is Tired of delays caused by local governments trying to protect the safety and well-being of local residents with local zoning laws. The new antennas are necessary to allow AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and others to enter the highly profitable video streaming business without having to run a physical cable into peoples’ homes or apartments. This has nothing to do with on-line education or improving access to the internet for low income and rural customers. The telecom industry is hoping a new generation of “cord cutters” will switch from their current cable subscriptions to new wireless subscriptions. The sad fact is it’s not worth it for telecoms to install their expensive antennas in underserved communities. People in these minority or economically challenged areas aren’t likely to sign up for expensive monthly subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, Disney + and other services, which is where the real money for the telecoms lies. It’s a lot more expensive to maintain a wireless connection than a wired connection.
The telecoms are promising that the passage of SB-556 and AB-537 will close the digital divide, but here’s the true story: they’ve been promising to stop “digital redlining” and connect minority and rural communities since at least the 1990s when they began to replace old copper lines with fiber-optic cable. But they never did connect those folks. And these bills contain nothing to make them do it now. The way to close the digital divide is with a superior technology that is faster, more reliable, more affordable, less prone to hacking and is 100% safe for everyone. A lot of the infrastructure is already in place. It’s fiberoptic to and through the premises, or “FTTP.” SB-556 and AB-537 can’t possibly close the digital divide, and anyone who says otherwise is either badly misinformed or deliberately mistaking the facts
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